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This is the second in a series ­spotlighting nominees for the Pillar awards.

It was no less a musical authority than George Harrison who said you can’t play a ukulele and not laugh. “Everyone I know who is into the ukulele is crackers,” the late former Beatle once famously wrote.

Every Wednesday evening, you can hear a lot of laughter emanating from the London Music Club. That’s when members of the Southern Ontario Ukulele Players (SOUP), gather to jam on the instrument that resembles a small four-stringed guitar.

“It sounds like happiness,” said Lynda Martens, who is a jam leader for the organization. SOUP is one of three finalists for the Pillar award in the impact category. Pillar Nonprofit Network, the chamber of commerce for non-profits, honours non-profit work in the city by people and groups.

“We are recognizing incredible work happening by individuals to build a better London, and that encourages others to see what they can do to make London better,” said Michelle Baldwin, executive director of Pillar.

The nominations are in four categories: innovation, leadership, impact and collaboration.

Starting with just five members in 2009, SOUP has grown to more than 340 players from the age of 11 to those in their 80s.

“We’re just a whole bunch of people. Everybody has a ukulele,” Martens explained. “We’re all jamming together. It’s pure joy. When you make music, you use more parts of your brain than any other activity.”

Part of the genius of the ukulele is how easy it is to learn.

“You don’t need anything. You could learn three chords in 10 minutes,” Martens said. “You could learn very quickly once you attend jams.”

About 80 to 100 members of SOUP turn out for the mid-week jam sessions. The group has recently branched out into playing weddings. The players do a mix of slower songs, Irish jigs and more modern numbers.

Be warned, though. Loving the instrument can lead to “ukulele acquisition syndrome,” the urge to own as many of the instruments as possible, which is fed by the fact they are not expensive and don’t take up much room.

The ukulele originated in Portugal, eventually was brought to Hawaii, then caught on in North America.

Southern Ontario Ukulele Players (SOUP), a group of about 340 people who gather for weekly jam sessions and perform at weddings.

George Bray Sports Association. Provides children and adults with special needs the opportunity to participate in hockey. It has grown from 20 people on two teams to 242 players, 18 teams, and three age divisions.

Community Engaged Learning at Western University builds partnerships with the non-profit sector.